Dental Treatment Duration as an Indicator of the Behavior of 3- to 9- Year-old Pediatric Patients in Clinical Dental Settings

Abstract

Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the age-specific effect of treatment duration on pediatric patient behavior. Methods and Materials:A total of 450 children 3 to 9 years of age were allocated into six consecutive age groups (n=75 for each group). All children received dental treatment procedures which included the fabrication of a Type 1 composite resin restoration, then a dental prophylaxis followed by fluoride therapy with each procedure requiring an average of 20 minutes. The children's behavior was evaluated at the end of each treatment period using the sound, eye, and motor (SEM) scale. Results:The results of a mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated a significant main effect of treatment duration, F (1.69, 255.01) = 188.29, P < 0.001, and of chronological age, F (1, 144) = 115.82, P < 0.001. Moreover, the main effects of time and chronological age was qualified by a significant interaction between time and chronological age, F (8.86, 255.01) = 115.82, P < 0.001. The beta weights (0.64 for age versus 0.44 for time) suggest chronological age contributes the most to predicting the behavior of children during dental treatment followed by the duration of treatment.Conclusion: Treatment duration may affect the behavior of pediatric patients parallel with chronological age and, thus, should be considered in the arrangement of the treatment plan.Clinical Significance: The findings of this study suggest appropriate pediatric behavior management should include thoughtful scheduling of appointments according to a treatment plan formulated with consideration of the effects of age and appointment length.

Assessment of the Correlation between Appointment Scheduling and Patient Satisfaction in a Pediatric Dental Setup

“…Most of these systems have been studied in reference to the various branches of medicine, but there is a paucity of literature related to pediatric dentistry. Most of these systems have concluded that though appointment scheduling does help to improve the quality of health care delivery, not all the systems may be patient friendly and patient satisfaction with these systems varies [ 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 ].…”

“…The study concluded that treatment duration may affect the behavior of pediatric patients parallel with chronological age and, thus, should be considered in the arrangement of the treatment plan. The findings of this study suggest appropriate pediatric behavior management should include thoughtful scheduling of appointments according to a treatment plan formulated with consideration of the effects of age and appointment length [ 12 ].…”

Técnica de distracción audiovisual para el control de la ansiedad en niño

“…La duración y la complejidad del tratamiento dental son factores que influyen directamente sobre el nivel de ansiedad en los pacientes pediátricos; para el presente estudio se realizaron tratamientos invasivos y de (pulpotomías y pulpectomías), en los cuales se presentó un aumento de la ansiedad leve en los pacientes, como los encontrados en los estudios de Aminabadi (4) y Jamali (5) . Otro es- tudio, como el realizado por Hanif (20) , indica que además de los factores antes mencionados, el nivel socioeconómico y las visitas dentales previas influyen en el comportamiento y la ansiedad en estos pacientes.…”

“…La duración del tratamiento dental y el manejo del comportamiento son dos puntos importantes a tener en cuenta cuando se trata de pacientes infantiles. Por lo que se ha sugerido que las citas sean cortas, de lo contrario, los niños interpretarían las sesiones de tratamiento como un signo de problemas importantes que causaría una ansiedad significativa y por ende problemas en el manejo del comportamiento (4) (5) .…”

Experiencias de los estudiantes de estomatología en el control de la conducta de niños. Análisis cualitativo

“…El control de la conducta del paciente pediátrico se fundamenta en el conductismo, el cual, plantea que el comportamiento de la persona es modificable si se alteran las circunstancias ambientales que la rodean 6 . En odontología, las técnicas del control de la conducta intentan disminuir el miedo y la ansiedad del niño, con estas técnicas el dentista gana la confianza del niño y logra una buena comunicación, evitando conductas desagradables e improductivas, consiguiendo la colaboración del niño para realizar un tratamiento dental exitoso 7,8 .…”